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Sonic Frontiers Line 3 and Power Condtioners

I am wondering what people are using for power conditioners on their Line 3's?

I have a 5 year old Line 3 SE. I just had the third power supply failure in that time. Each time it appears the right channel power regulator has failed. Has anyone else had similar problems?

One suggestion from SFI is to look into added power line protection. I understand that SFI pre-amps have problems when ran with PS Audio equipment that has multiwave capability. I can see where that makes sense. But is the Power Director and UPC equipment without the multiwave a good choice? What about other brands?

I have been reading reviews on Monster, Richard Gray, Brick Wall, Tice, PS Audio and a dozen others. I think I have learned to look for isolation tranformers, stay away from surge protectors that use MOV's and be aware of current limiting But what products offer these without killing the pocketbook? (I know a $3K - $5k preamp deserves $$$ to be protected, but I can also buy a new amp for a few $K.) I think I am at the point of more confusion than conclusion.

Some folks swear by each of these, and others say they cause significant sound degradation. I am not after sonic improvement, though if I get it, great. I am after power line protection that won't degrade sonic performance.

Any recommendations?

Tnx,
Rick

System:
- SFI Line 3 SE
- Pass Labs X150 Amp
- Sony SCD-1 SACD/CD player
- Magnum Dynalabs FT101 tuner
- Martin Login Odyssey speakers
- Parasound phono Pre-amp
- Technics SL-23 turntable
rlmalm807f

Showing 1 response by outlier

outlier's avatar
outlier
381 posts
 
Hi Rick:
I used to have a Line 3 and I used a PS Audio P300 with it. It was not a good idea. Sometimes the P300 would cause a fuse to blow in the unit. It caused no damage to the Line 3 beyond the fuse blowing, bit it was mightly frustrating to keep opening the unit up. The problem occured more frequently if I played with the PS Audio multiwave functionality. Overall, it might be prudent to use a more passive type of line conditioner, if at all. Maybe a Walker Velocitor? Good luck.
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